U.S. patent application number 09/921381 was filed with the patent office on 2002-06-27 for method for accessing a cellular communication network.
Invention is credited to Keller, Ralf, Lohmar, Thorsten.
Application Number | 20020081992 09/921381 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 8169432 |
Filed Date | 2002-06-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020081992 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Keller, Ralf ; et
al. |
June 27, 2002 |
Method for accessing a cellular communication network
Abstract
The invention relates to methods for enabling user equipment to
access a cellular communication network, a method for accessing
said network and user equipment granting said access. The invention
makes use of the idea that specially equipped user equipment with a
second communication path can be used to enable further user
equipment also having a second communication path to access a
cellular communication network. The invention allows the
introduction of master user equipment, controlling the access of
further user equipment and enabling free of charge calls for
further user equipment.
Inventors: |
Keller, Ralf; (Wuerselen,
DE) ; Lohmar, Thorsten; (Aachen, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Spencer C. Patterson, Esq.
Jenkens and Gilchrist, P.C.
3200 Fountain Place
1445 Ross Ave.
Dallas
TX
75202
US
|
Family ID: |
8169432 |
Appl. No.: |
09/921381 |
Filed: |
August 2, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/410 ;
455/450 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 88/04 20130101;
H04W 48/20 20130101; H04W 84/042 20130101; H04W 12/08 20130101;
H04W 84/18 20130101; H04W 88/02 20130101; H04W 12/06 20130101; H04W
88/06 20130101; H04W 12/43 20210101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/410 ;
455/450; 455/422 |
International
Class: |
H04M 001/66 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 3, 2000 |
EP |
00116746.9 |
Claims
1. A method for a first user equipment (UE11) to access a cellular
communication network via a second user equipment (UE12) that has
access to said cellular communication network, both user equipment
comprising at least two communication means, the first
communication means (HF11, HF12) for communication with said
cellular communication network, the second communication means
(CU11, CU12) for communication with the respective other user
equipment, said method comprising the following steps performed by
the first user equipment (UE11): sending an access request (103)
for the cellular communication system to the second user equipment,
receiving an authentification request (105) from the cellular
communication network forwarded (106) by the second user equipment,
sending an authentification information (107) to the cellular
communication network via the second user equipment.
2. A method for a second user equipment (UE12) to enable at least
one further user equipment (UE11) to access a cellular
communication network, the user equipment comprising at least two
communication means, the first communication means for
communication with said cellular communication network, the second
communication means for communication with the respective other
user equipment, said method comprising the following steps
performed by the second user equipment (UE12): receiving an access
request (103) for the cellular communication network from the
further user equipment, registering the further user equipment to
the cellular communication network (104), receiving an
authentification request (105) from the cellular communication
network, forwarding (106) the authentification request to the
further user equipment, receiving authentification information
(107) from the further user equipment, forwarding (108) the
authentification information to the cellular communication
network.
3. A method, according to claim 2 with the additional steps of:
storing an identification of the further user equipment, and
monitoring at least one cellular communication network, whether
said user equipment is paged or called.
4. A method according to any of the claims 2, or 3, wherein one of
the user equipment is a master user equipment (UE21), the method
comprising the additional steps of: sending a permission request
(204) to the master user equipment, whether the further user
equipment is allowed to access the cellular communication network,
receiving a permission information (205) from the master user
equipment.
5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the further user
equipment (UE11) uses the subscription of the master user equipment
(UE21), with the additional step of invoking a call forwarding
(308) in the cellular network from the number of the further user
equipment to the number of the master user equipment.
6. A method according to claim 4 or 5 with the additional steps of:
receiving an connection interrupt request from the master user
equipment, disconnecting the communication between the further user
equipment and the cellular communication network.
7. A method according to claim 6 with the additional step of
revoking the call forwarding in the cellular communication
network.
8. A user equipment (UE12) for communicating in a cellular
communication network comprising: a processing unit (PU12), at
least one high frequency unit (HF12), facilitating at least one
communication path to the cellular communication network, a
communication unit (CU12), facilitating a communication path to at
least one further user equipment, a storage (SU12) to store at
least one user identification that identifies a user in the
cellular communication system, and to store communication parameter
describing a communication path between the user equipment and at
least one further user equipment said communication path set up by
using the communication unit, and an I/O unit (IO12) to signal
information to and receive input from a user.
9. A user equipment according to claim 8, further comprising an
authentification unit (AU12) for authentifying the user
equipment.
10. A user equipment according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising
an indicator for indicating which user equipment is currently
authenticated.
11. A user equipment according to claim 8, 9 or 10, wherein the
communication unit (CU12) is a Bluetooth.TM. transceiver.
12. A user equipment according to any of the claims 8 to 11,
wherein the at least one high frequency unit (HF12) is a GSM
(Global System for Mobile communication) transceiver.
13. A user equipment according to any of the claims 8 to 12,
wherein the at least one high frequency unit (HF12) is a UMTS
(Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) transceiver.
14. A user equipment according to any of the claims 8 to 13, that
is incorporated in a vehicle.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a method for accessing, a
method to support an access, and user equipment that enables
further user equipment to access at least one cellular
communication network.
[0002] Cellular communication networks are increasing rapidly in
the number of subscribers and the number of services that are
provided. A large part of the population is used to the services a
cellular phone offers to them.
[0003] The acceptance of the cellular phone technology has
increased to a point that the availability of mobile communication
is taken for granted. This leads to the situation that areas
without coverage for mobile communication are hardly accepted.
[0004] Due to the increasing number of mobile user equipment and
the technical progress, the transmission power of user equipment
has been reduced significantly. Early mobile phones had a
transmission power of about 10 Watts, while modern cellular phones
have a transmission power of about 0.5 Watt. If a signal sent with
this low power is attenuated for example within a building or a
vehicle, a communication can become impossible.
[0005] Increasing the transmission power leads to increasing
interference problems within a cellular communication network.
[0006] One solution known to the public is the use of devices that
enable user equipment to overcome physical restrictions when
accessing a cellular communication network.
[0007] For example a vehicle holder for cellular phones provides
user equipment with an external antenna like the HF6300 system from
Ericsson. By this, signal attenuation, caused by the metal body of
a vehicle, is avoided.
[0008] It is a shortcoming of the state of the art that devices,
enabling user equipment to access a cellular communication network,
do not support more than one user equipment.
[0009] It is an object of the invention to support more than one
user equipment to access at least one cellular communication
network.
[0010] This is solved advantageously by the methods of claim 1 and
2, and the user equipment of claim 8.
[0011] It is advantageous that the authentification of the user
equipment is performed by using authentification information used
in the cellular communication network to authentify a user of the
respective user equipment. This allows the identification of the
accessing user equipment by the cellular communication network.
[0012] It is further advantageous that the user equipment enabling
further user equipment to access a cellular communication network
comprises an authentification unit. This allows distinguishing
calls to the user equipment enabling accesses from calls to further
user equipment.
[0013] Further advantageous embodiments and implementations of the
invention can be derived from the claims 3 to 7 and 9 to 14.
[0014] Especially advantageous is the monitoring of cellular
communication networks according to claim 3. The monitoring enables
user equipment to receive calls.
[0015] Further advantageous is the necessity of permission by
master user equipment according to claim 4. This enables master
user equipment to control the access of further user equipment to
the cellular communication network.
[0016] Further advantageous is the use of Bluetooth.TM. devices as
communication unit according to claim 11. Bluetooth.TM. is a low
cost standard for wireless communication that is widely spread and
well known in the telecommunication area.
[0017] The invention is based on the idea that specially equipped
user equipment can be used to enable more than one further user
equipment to access at least one cellular communication
network.
[0018] One scenario is for example the use of mobile phones inside
of vehicles. As most of the car bodies are made of metal,
transmissions from inside a car are attenuated. The use of vehicle
holders for mobile phones enables a single user to access a
cellular communication network. If several users are staying within
the same car, for example on a business trip or commuting, only one
of them could make use of the vehicle holder.
[0019] Another scenario is to enable the access of user equipment
to a cellular communication network both using a different
frequency. For example an European subscriber, having a roaming
agreement for a 1900 megacycles GSM network in the US but using a
user equipment for 900 megacycles GSM, is enabled to access the US
network.
[0020] The invention facilitates access for a plurality of users.
With master user equipment, this access can be controlled by one of
the users, an advantage especially for taxi drivers or chauffeurs.
A taxi driver or chauffeur can decide whether a guest is permitted
or not to access a cellular communication system via his/her user
equipment.
[0021] In an embodiment of the invention, the user controlling the
master user equipment can revoke permission granted to the user of
a further user equipment. It is even possible for him/her to
interrupt an ongoing call of the user of the further user
equipment.
[0022] Cellular communication networks have to identify user
equipment for example for charging purposes. To make sure that a
user is permitted to access a certain network, the user identity is
confirmed by an authentification process. Such an authentification
can be performed for example by requirement of a code sequence a
user has to enter into his/her equipment. The information can be
stored within a user equipment for example in an authentification
unit.
[0023] Master user equipment, whose authentification information is
used for authentification, allows the user controlling the master
user equipment, to offer users of further user equipment calls by
using his authentification information. Actually, uses a user
equipment, authentified with the authentification information of
the master user equipment, the subscription of said master user
equipment. This facilitates access for user who did not subscribe
to the cellular communication system they want to access. A further
advantage is the possibility to offer guests calls on the charge of
the user of the master user equipment.
[0024] The invention is not restricted to the use within cars, it
can be used for example in any area with reduced availability of
cellular communication networks or places where it seems suitable
to control the access to such networks.
[0025] In the following the invention will be further described by
means of examples and by means of figures.
[0026] The following figures show:
[0027] FIG. 1 depicts an example of user equipment, using a method
to access and a method to enable access to a cellular communication
network, according to the invention,
[0028] FIG. 2 depicts an example of user equipment using a method
to enable more than one user equipment to access a cellular
communication network, according to the invention, and
[0029] FIG. 3 depicts an example of user equipment using a further
method to enable more than one user equipment to access a cellular
communication network, according to the invention.
[0030] In the following, equal elements are marked by equal
reference signs.
[0031] FIG. 1 depicts an example of user equipment UE12 according
to the invention, an access node AN1 of a cellular communication
network and further user equipment UE11.
[0032] The user equipment UE12 comprises a high frequency unit
HF12, a communication unit CU12, a storage SU12, an input/output
unit IO12, and a processing unit PU12. The high frequency unit HF12
is used for communication with a cellular communication network,
for example a GSM (Global System for Mobile communication), a UMTS
(Universal Mobile Telecommunication System), a PDC (Personal
Digital Communication system), a packet PDC, or a D-AMPS
(Digital-Advanced Mobile Phone System) network.
[0033] In an embodiment of the invention, the user equipment UE12
comprises more than one high frequency unit HF12, facilitating more
than one user equipment to communicate with a cellular
communication network and/or to communicate with more than one
cellular communication network, at the same time.
[0034] The communication unit CU12 is used for communication with
further user equipment. It can be realised by any wireless
communication means as for example an infrared, an ultrasonic or a
radio transceiver, or by wireline communication means connected for
example via a vehicle holder. In a preferred embodiment of the
invention, the communication unit CU12 is a Bluetooth.TM.
communication device. The storage SU12 is a memory used to store
information about further user equipment. These information can be,
for example, an identification of a further user equipment that
identifies the user equipment in a cellular communication network,
parameter describing connections to the cellular communication
network, an identification and parameter for the connection between
user equipment, or an information that a call forwarding is invoked
for the further user equipment.
[0035] The I/O unit IO12 is an interface between a user and the
user equipment. It can be realised for example by a display, a
keyboard, a touch screen, a microphone and a loudspeaker, and by
combinations of these.
[0036] The authentification unit AU12 is used for the
authentification of a user. An example for an authentification unit
is the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) as known from GSM or UMTS
networks.
[0037] It should be noted that the authentification unit AU12 is
not mandatory. In an embodiment of the invention, a user equipment
UE12 without an authentification unit can facilitate further user
equipment to access a cellular communication network, for example
if authentification information of a master user equipment or of
further the user equipment is used.
[0038] The processing unit PU12 controls and co-ordinates the units
of the user equipment.
[0039] In an embodiment of the invention, the user equipment UE12
is incorporated in a car, a bus, a taxi or another vehicle or
vessel.
[0040] In a further embodiment of the invention, the user equipment
UE12 is placed in a vehicle holder.
[0041] The user equipment UE11 comprises a high frequency unit
HF11, a communication unit CU11, an authentification unit AU11, a
processing unit PU11 and an I/O unit IO11.
[0042] The high frequency unit HF11 is used for communication with
a cellular communication network, for example a GSM, a UMTS, a PDC,
a packet PDC, or a D-AMPS network.
[0043] The communication unit CU11 is a wireless or wireline
communication device used to communicate with other user
equipment.
[0044] The processing unit PU11 controls and co-ordinates the units
of the user equipment.
[0045] The interface unit IO11 can be realised as described for the
I/O unit IO12. It is used for communication with a user.
[0046] In an embodiment of the invention, the second user equipment
UE12 detects the user equipment UE11. This detection can be
performed vice versa, too. The invention does not depend on a
certain detection mechanism, it is designed to work with any
detection mechanism known to a person skilled in the art. It
depends on the embodiment of the communication unit CU12 and on the
protocol used for communication among user equipment. A detection
of user equipment can for example be performed by measuring field
strengths, monitoring frequencies for a signal, measuring sound
levels, or, in a simple way, by contacts in a vehicle holder.
[0047] The second user equipment UE12 contacts the user equipment
UE11 by sending a contact message 101 via the communication unit
CU12. The user equipment UE11 receives the contact message in its
communication unit CU11 and establishes a connection in a next step
102.
[0048] In a further embodiment of the invention, the steps 101 and
102 are performed vice versa, the user equipment UE11 sending the
contact message and the second user equipment UE12 establishing the
connection.
[0049] Afterwards, the user equipment UE11 sends an access request
message 103 to the second user equipment UE12. This access request
comprises an identification of the user equipment UE11 that
identifies the user equipment UE11 in a cellular communication
system.
[0050] In a further embodiment of the invention, step 103 is
performed at the establishment of the connection between the user
equipment UE11 and UE12 for example the identification being
included in message 101 or 102. In that case, the establishment of
the connection between the user equipment is an implicit access
request of the user equipment UE11. The second user equipment UE12
receives the access request from the user equipment UE11 and stores
the identification in its storage SU12. The storage of the
identification can be performed after a permission of access by the
cellular communication network, alternatively.
[0051] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the user
equipment UE12 checks, whether it is capable of handling the user
equipment UE11. If not, it sends an access reject message to the
user equipment UE11.
[0052] If it is capable of handling the user equipment UE11, it
registers the user equipment UE11 in the cellular communication
network by sending an access request message 104 to the access node
AN1. An access request message is for example an attachment request
or a location update request.
[0053] The registration of user equipment comprises those steps
that are performed between user equipment and a communication
network when an access is requested. The steps depend on the
network the user equipment is registered to and can for example
include the transmission of: user settings, device information, an
identification of a subscription, an identification of a user
equipment and an authentification of a user equipment or a user. In
the following there is no difference made between subscription,
user equipment and user in the respect of authentification, as for
example in Japanese PDC networks a user equipment is authenticated
while in European GSM networks and similar networks in the United
States an authentification of a user is performed.
[0054] The cellular communication network returns an
authentification request 105 in order to verify that the user is
permitted to access said network.
[0055] The authentification request 105 is forwarded in a message
106 by the second user equipment UE12 to the user equipment
UE11.
[0056] The user equipment UE11 gathers the requested
authentification information from its authentification unit
AU11.
[0057] The user equipment UE11 returns authentification information
in a message 107 to the second user equipment UE12.
[0058] The second user equipment UE12 forwards this
authentification information to the access node AN1 of the cellular
communication network in a message 108.
[0059] If the authentification information verifies that the user
equipment UE11 is permitted to access the cellular communication
network, the access is established.
[0060] If not, the access is rejected by the cellular communication
network. This rejection is sent to the second user equipment UE12.
The second user equipment UE12 removes the identification of the
user equipment UE11 in the cellular communication network, from the
storage SU12, and forwards the reject message to the user equipment
UE11.
[0061] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the user
equipment UE12 monitors the cellular communication network, whether
the user equipment UE11 is paged or called. This can be performed,
for example by the high frequency unit HF12, monitoring a
broadcasting channel of the cellular communication network.
[0062] In an embodiment of the invention, the user equipment
comprises more than one high frequency unit HF12 to allow the
monitoring of a plurality of broadcasting channels of a plurality
of cellular communication networks.
[0063] The second figure FIG. 2 depicts a schematic of user
equipment UE12, UE11, and UE21 and access node AN1 of a cellular
communication network, the user equipment performing a method to
enable more than one user equipment to access a cellular
communication network. The first user equipment UE21 is master user
equipment. It accesses the cellular communication network via the
second user equipment UE12.
[0064] The further user equipment UE11 requests an access to the
cellular communication network as described for FIG. 1.
[0065] After the reception of the access request message 103 and
the storing of the information, the second user equipment UE12
checks whether the further user equipment UE11 is permitted to ask
for an access by sending a permission request message 204 to the
master user equipment UE21.
[0066] The master user equipment UE21 checks whether further user
equipment UE11 is permitted to access the cellular communication
network. This check can be performed for example by checking a
look-up table or by signalling the request to the user of the
master user equipment UE21 and an input by said user.
[0067] The master user equipment UE21 confirms the permission by
returning a permission message 205.
[0068] The second user equipment UE12 continues as described in
FIG. 1 with the registration of the further user equipment UE11 in
the cellular communication network by sending the message 104 to
the access node AN1. The preceding steps are the same as in the
method described in FIG. 1.
[0069] In a further embodiment of the invention, the permission
request 204 and the permission message 205 are sent between the
further user equipment UE11 and the master user equipment UE21. In
such an implementation, the further user equipment UE11 does not
require an access in a message 103 before it receives a permission
message 205.
[0070] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the master user
equipment UE21 can send an interruption request to terminate a
connection between further user equipment UE11 and a cellular
communication network. The interruption request may be sent to the
second user equipment UE12 or to the further user equipment UE11,
the receiver of the request terminating the connection.
[0071] FIG. 3 depicts a further schematic of three user equipment
UE12, UE11, and UE21 and an access node AN1 of a cellular
communication network performing a method to enable more than one
user equipment to access a cellular communication network.
[0072] The further user equipment UE11 requests an access to the
cellular network as described in FIG. 1, apart from the fact, that
in this example no identification of the further user equipment
UE11 is stored in the storage SU12 of the second user equipment
UE12.
[0073] After the reception of the access request message, the
second user equipment UE12 checks whether the further user
equipment UE11 is permitted to ask for an access by sending a
permission request message 204 to the master user equipment
UE21.
[0074] The master user equipment UE21 confirms the permission by
returning a permission message 205.
[0075] As the further user equipment UE11 is to access the cellular
network by using the subscription of master user equipment UE21,
the second user equipment UE12 sends a permission request 306 to
master user equipment UE21. The master user equipment UE21 checks
whether the further user equipment UE11 shall be permitted to use
its subscription. This check can be performed for example by
checking a look-up table or by signalling the request to the user
of user equipment UE21 and an input by said user. If the permission
is granted, the master user equipment UE21 returns a permission
information 307. In an embodiment of the invention, the permission
requests 204 and 306 are sent in a single message. The permission
information 205 and 307 are sent in a single message accordingly.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the further user
equipment UE11 is enabled to receive incoming calls by an
unconditional forwarding that is requested from the network. The
call forwarding is activated by a call forwarding request message
308, sent from the second user equipment UE12 to the access node
AN1. By an unconditional forwarding, all calls to the number of
further user equipment UE11 are forwarded to the number of the
master user equipment UE21.
[0076] In a further preferred embodiment, the second user equipment
UE12 stores the information that call forwarding is activated for
the further user equipment UE11. It offers to the further user
equipment UE11 incoming calls for master user equipment UE21 that
have been forwarded. All other incoming calls for master user
equipment UE21 are offered to the master user equipment UE21.
Forwarded calls can be recognised by information sent from a
cellular communication network to a user equipment. They are often
indicated to users of user equipment by a message on a display.
[0077] Without the call forwarding, the access given to the user
equipment UE11 is only valid for outgoing calls.
[0078] As the cellular communication network identifies user
equipment by its authentification information, the location of user
equipment UE11 is not known in the cellular communication
network.
[0079] In an embodiment of the invention, the user equipment UE12
comprises an indicator indicating which user equipment UE11 or UE21
is currently accessing the cellular communication network. This
indication can be a message displayed by the I/O unit of the user
equipment UE12.
[0080] In the following a taxi is used to show the use of the
invention. Said taxi incorporates a user equipment UE12 built in by
the manufacturer of the taxi. Such user equipment is built in for
example for remote diagnosis or automatic emergency calls. The taxi
driver uses user equipment UE21 for communication via a cellular
communication system. User equipment UE21 is placed in a vehicle
holder and uses the high frequency unit and external antenna of
user equipment UE12 to communicate with said cellular communication
system. In the example the cellular communication system is a GSM
900 MHz network.
[0081] A guest carrying user equipment UE11 takes said taxi. User
equipment UE12 and UE21 are 900 MHz GSM mobile phones, user
equipment UE11 is a D-AMPS mobile phone, each of the user equipment
comprises two communication means according to the invention. To
access the GSM network, the guest has two different options.
Firstly, he can use his own subscription if his operator has an
agreement with the operator of the GSM network.
[0082] Secondly, even if no such agreement exists, he can ask for
the permission of the taxi driver to use his subscription to access
the GSM network. In both alternatives the user equipment UE21
operates as master user equipment and user equipment UE12 as second
user equipment. The guest can access the GSM network with the first
user equipment UE11 via the second user equipment UE12. In the
first alternative, the authentification information in user
equipment UE11 is used for authentification, in the second
alternative the information in user equipment UE21 is used for that
purpose.
[0083] In the second alternative, a call forwarding from the
subscriber number of the guest to the subscriber number of the taxi
driver is activated, to enable the guest to receive incoming calls.
User equipment UE12 offers all incoming calls that have been
forwarded to user equipment UE11. Calls that not have been
forwarded are offered to user equipment UE21. In both alternatives
the taxi driver controls the access of the guest, being able to
interrupt a connection between the user equipment UE11 and the
cellular communication network, for example to set up a call
himself/herself.
* * * * *